Application Procedure

Here is some information that you might want to know about visa application procedure.

Language School «Interstudy» is registered with the authorities to invite and employ foreign teachers to Russia.

Foreigners wishing to work in Russia must hold a valid work visa.

Applying for a work visa involves two steps:

  • Obtaining a letter of invitation (LOI). In order to apply for a letter of invitation, Interstudy will need to receive a scanned copy of your passport details page. Passport should be valid for more than 21 month since the opening date of the visa.
    Once received, Interstudy will apply for a letter of invitation. Receiving a letter of invitation takes 20 business days. LOI together with letter of Support is sent to you by post (usually FedEx or DHL). The LOI might be a paper document or an e-document.
  • Obtaining a work visa. Interstudy invites its teachers to Russia on three-month single entry work visas which are thereafter prolonged and converted to a one-year multiple-entry visa. It means that initially the teacher should apply for a three-month single entry work visa and when he arrives in Russia this visa will be converted in a multiple-entry one here without necessity to leave the country.

In order to apply for a visa, the following items should be brought or posted to the designated Russian consulate:

  • application form
  • passport with at least two clear pages
  • letter of invitation (the original)
  • letter of support
  • HIV test
  • one passport size photo (black & white or coloured)
  • applicable fee

Please visit website of Russian Embassy to find the one that is nearest to you:
— for US citizens: http://www.russianembassy.org/page/russian-consulates-in-the-u-s
— for UK citizens: http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk/

Migration cards

migration cardTravellers to Russia are required by law to fill in a migration card prior to passing through customs.

Airline attendants distribute migration cards just prior to landing while train conductors do so just prior to crossing the frontier into Russia.

The form has two identical sections: A and B. The section on the right is identical to that on the left.
Section A — Entry will be kept by passport control. Section B will be returned to you by the customs official. On leaving Russia, you will need to surrender Section B.

Registration

Within seventy-two hours of your arrival in Russia, Interstudy must submit your passport, visa and migration card to the Migration Service for registration. The School is required to submit the appropriate paper work detailing the address where you would be living during your stay in Russia.

US Citizens Applying for Russian Visas in the US
If you are applying for a visa by mail, then you must send your visa application to the Russian Consulate via an intermediary visa agency. At this time there are three visa agencies authorized to accept applications for visa. These are CIBT Inc., PVS International and Travisa Visa Service. Please note, if you mail your application directly to any US-based Russian consulate, it will be returned to you.

If you wish to apply for your visa in person, then you may do so at any US-based Russian Consulate. There are Russian consulates located in New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle, San Francisco and Houston.

Visa Application Documents

In order to obtain a visa for Russia, you will need to mail or carry in the following documents:

  1. Visa application form (completely filled in)
  2. Valid passport (with at least two visa-free pages)
  3. One passport size photo (stapled to the application form in the appropriate space)
  4. Official letter of invitation (from Interstudy)
  5. Cover letter from Interstudy
  6. Result of HIV-test
  7. Money order or cashier’s check (cash and personal checks are not accepted)

The visa processing fee is USD 160 for 6 business days processing time.

??? Please note that a new rule states that the holder of a Russian visa may not enter Russia sooner than five (5) days after the visa has been issued. The issue date appears on the visa.

UK Citizens Applying for Russian Visas in the UK
Because of the increased demand for visas, the Embassy of the Russian Federation has now outsourced visa application processing to M/S VF Services (UK) Ltd. This new procedure not only avoids queuing and waiting lists but also is intended to expedite delivery times.

As a first step, you may wish to visit the M/S VF Services website where you will be able to find detailed visa application procedures.

In order to start the visa application procedure, it will be necessary to complete the visa application form found on the M/S VF Services website. The form MUST be filled in online. Handwritten forms are not acceptable. In order to complete this form, it is suggested that you have the following information close at hand:

  • a current and valid passport
  • Letter of Support from Interstudy
  • e-mail address
  • cell phone or alternate landline telephone number
  • details of your spouse including place and date of birth (if applicable)
  • list of countries visited in the last 10 years
  • contact details of current and 2 previous employers
  • contact details of the last 2 educational organizations attended after high school (if applicable)
  • list of all professional, civil and charity organizations which you are/were a member of or cooperate/cooperated with

Once the application form has been completed online, it will be necessary to print it off. Thereafter, applications can be either delivered in person or by post to the M/S VF Services Office located in London or Edinburgh. (Please note, only applicants resident in Scotland can apply in Edinburgh.)

Applications for visa being delivered in person should be brought to either of the following addresses depending on residency:

Address in London: Russia Visa Application Center, 15- 27 Gee Street, Barbican, London
EC1V 3RD

Address in Edinburgh: Russia Visa Application Centre, 64 Albion Road, Edinburgh EH7 5QZ

If your visa application is being sent by post, then you should send it to the following address:

Address in London: Russia Visa Application Center, PO Box 64391, London, EC1P 1NJ

Please note that should you require urgent processing (next day service), this can only be arranged in person by visiting one of the offices listed above.

Whether your application is posted or delivered by hand, you will need to include (or bring) the following items in order to procure a visa:

  1. Valid passport (valid for more than 21 month since the opening date of the visa and have at least two blank pages)
  2. Recent passport-size photo (glued to the correct lower-right section of the application form)
  3. Letter of Invitation
  4. Letter of Support from Interstudy
  5. Result of HIV-test
  6. Bank statements (from the last three months)
  7. Payment

Regardless of whether you are applying for your visa in person or by post, the following fees apply:
The single-entry visa processing fee is £50 for 5 business days processing time. Along with the visa fees, there is a service charge: £38.40 (inclusive of VAT).

Apply now